Token or like dispensing device



NOV. 18, 1947. w, HUNTER 2,431,121

TOKEN on LIKE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Nov. 9, 1944 I 1s is 13 x3 I i A 12 5 a n m INVENTOR. Nelmoth W Hun fer MAM W Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOKEN R LIKE DISPENSING DEVICE Melmoth W. Hunter, Lorain, Ohio Application November 9, 1944, Serial No. 562,643

10 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a token or like dispensing device, and in particular relates to a token-dispensing device for use in games of amusement.

Heretofore dispensing devices have been provided for dispensing tokens, such as coins, transportation checks, etc. These, however, have usu-- ally been of a type utilizing tube and a springpressed plunger for feeding the tokens toward a dispensing opening of the tube, and tokens were required to be removed by manually sliding the same through said opening. Such devices in addition to being relatively expensive to manufacture are unsatisfactory for use in playing games of chance, such as bingo, lotto, or the like, in which discs or tokens are played on numbers or other characters on a playing surface in substantially quick succession.

One object of this invention is to provide a simple token-dispensing device which is operable in one hand to dispense tokens one at a time, in quick succession, and which, therefore, is particularly adaptable for use in overcoming the foregoing objections of the prior art devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved token dispensing device having a minimum of separate parts, thereby making it inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a, vertical cross-section through a token-dispensing device embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the dispensing tube.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the plunger therefor.

Figure 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary cross-section of the lower or dispensing end of the device shown in Figure 1, but illustrating the same in operation to dispense a token.

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly broken away and in section and corresponding to Figure l, of a modified form of token dispensing device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral It designates a dispensing tube formed of hard plastic,

or other resilient or elastic material, and adapted to receive therein a stack of disks or tokens II, II. Interiorly or the tube, adjacent the lower or dispensing end thereof, may be integral anriular rib portions or projections I2 for engagement by the edge portions of lowermost discs of the stack to retain the stack in the tube.

Peripherally spaced slots I3, I3 may extend 2 longitudinally from the dispensing end of the tube, so that the end portions of the tube may expand outwardly against the inherent resiliency or elasticity of the material thereof, these slots also making the rib I2 discontinuous to provide the projections referred to above. The tokenengaging inner face I2a of the rib I2 may be sloped longitudinally outwardly and radially inwardly of the wall of the tube, providing a cam action to facilitate urging the tokens outwardly through the tube, and thereby to expand the end portions of the tube and release the tokens past the inner edge portions of rib I2. The outer edge portion of rib I2 preferably is inwardly of the end of the tube to provide a recess I4 of depth substantially equal to the thickness of one (or more) of the tokens, for a purpose to be described later.

Provided to be slidable in dispensing tube It may be a'hollow cylindrical plunger I5, preferably of the same material as the tube, which is open at one end and closed at the other, the open end. of the plunger being engageable with the end of the stack of tokens I I opposite the dispensing. opening. An outwardly projecting annular bead I1 is provided at the open end of the plunger, the outer periphery thereof being of substantially greater diameter than the interior diameter of tube I0, and peripherally spaced slots I6 may extend longitudinally from the open end of the plunger, whereby the plunger will be retained in the tube by contraction of its slotted end portion against the inherent resiliency of the material thereof (see Figure 1).

In the use of the device described above, as for dispensing tokens for playing the game of bingo, a stack of the tokens is inserted in tube ID from the plunger end thereof so that it is retained therein by the outermost token engaging the sloped inner surface Hit of annular retaining rib I2, and then the plunger is inserted in the tube so that the open end of the plunger engages the otherend of the stack, as shown in Figure 1.

The user or operator may then grip the tube It) in the curved fingers of one hand so that theclosed end of plunger I5 is engageable by the thumb. By holding the dispensing end of tube I3 against surface S as shown in Figure 4, and applying'thumb pressure to plunger [5 and the stack of tokens, the outermost token is forced past the retaining rib I2 onto surface S (see lowermost chain-dotted token in Figure 4). The limited depth of recess I4 prevents release of more than one token at a time as long as the tube is held against surface S, the second lowermost token being urged inwardly by the sloping surface I2a of rib 12 as the slotted end portions of tube l automatically contract to normal condition as shown in full lines in Figure 1. The foregoing token-dispensing operation may be repeated in quick succession to place a series of tokens on surface S, as desired, as for example, as numbers are called in a game (see chain-dotted lines in Figure 1).

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 5, the tube 20 is like tube ill in Figure 1, except that a band 20a of elastic or resilient material, such as rubber, is provided around the outer periphery of the slotted end of the tube. Thus in dispensing tokens 2|, as previously described in connection with Figure 1, they are urged outwardly against the yielding resiliency or elasticity of band 20a. The plunger 25 is substantially like plunger I 5, except that bead I! (see Figures 1 and 3) is omitted, the expansible slotted end being yieldingly held in frictional engagement with the inner surface of tube 29 by means of a disc or block 25a retained inside the tube adjacent said slotted end thereof.

The use of the device of Figure 5 is otherwise as described in connection with Figures 1 to 4.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A token or like dispensing device, comprising a hollow casing having a dispensing opening at one end and an opening at the other end for receiving tokens or the like in the casing in stacked relation, yieldingly releasable means at the dispensing end of said casing for engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of said stack to retain the stack within the casing, and a plunger receivable in said other end of the casing and operable at will to apply pressure to the stack to urge tokens past said yieldingly releasable means toward said dispensing opening, said releasable means being predeterminately spaced inwardly of said dispensing end of said casing to provide a recess of depth equal to the thickness of a predetermined number of tokens, whereby said tokens are releasable in said predetermined numbers past said releasable'means into said recess against a surface presented at said dispensing end of the casing.

2. A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube having retaining portions on the inner periphery thereof spaced inwardly of said dispensing opening for engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein, and means in said tube operable at will to press the stack toward said dispensing end of the tube and there by to urge one or more tokens outwardly past said retaining portions toward said dispensing opening against the inherent elasticity or resiliency of the material of the tube and onto a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube.

3. A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube,

having peripherally spaced slots extending longitudinally from said dispensing end thereof, said tube having retaining portions on the inner periphery thereof spaced inwardly of said dispensing opening for engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein,

and means in said tube operable at will to press the stack toward said dispensing end of the tube and thereby yieldingly to urge one or more tokens outwardly past said retaining portions toward said dispensing opening against the inherent elasticity or resiliency of said slotted end of the tube and onto a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube.

4. A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube having retaining portions on the inner periphery thereof adjacent said dispensing opening for releasably engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein, the stack bein depressible at will to release tokens from the stack outwardly past said retaining portions toward said dispensing opening against the inherent elasticity or resiliency of the material of the tube, said retaining portions being spaced inwardly of the dispensing end of said tube a predetermined distance substantially equal to the thickness of a predetermined number of tokens, whereby said tokens are yieldingly releasable in said predetermined numbers past said retaining portions into the space between the same and a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube.

5. A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube having peripherally spaced slots extending longitudinally from said dispensing end thereof whereby the dispensing end portion of the tube is yieldingly expansible, said expansible end portion of said tube having retaining projections on the inner periphery thereof adjacent said dispensing opening fOr engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein, the stack being depressible at will to release tokens from the stack outwardly past said retaining projections toward said dispensin opening against the inherent elasticity or resiliency of said expansible end portion of the tube, said re-.

taining projections being spaced inwardly of the dispensing end of said tube a predetermined distance substantially equal to the thickness of a predetermined number of tokens, whereby said tokens are yieldingly releasable in said predetermined numbers past said retaining projections into the space between the same and a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube.

6, A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube having peripherally spaced slots extending longitudinally from said dispensing end thereof whereby the dispensing end portion of the tube is yieldingly expansible, said expansible end portion of said tube having retaining projections on the inner periphery thereof spaced inwardly of said dispensing opening for engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein,

said inward spacing of said projections defining i a recess of predetermined depth at said dispensing end of the tube adapted to receive a predetermined number of tokens from said stack, the stack being depressible at will yieldingly to release said predetermined number of tokens out-' wardly past said retaining portions toward said dispensing opening againstthe inherent elasticity or resiliency of said expansible end portion of the tube, whereby said tokens are releasable in said predetermined numbers past said retaining projections into said recess against a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube said retaining projections comprising a discontinuous annular rib integral with the wall of said tube, the inner token-engaging surface portions of said rib projections being sloped longitudinally outwardly and radially inwardly to provide a cam surface for engagement by said tokens to expand said expansible end portion of said tube.

7. A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube having peripherally spaced slots extending longitudinally from said dispensing end thereof whereby the dispensing end portion of the tube is yieldingly expansible, said expansible end portion of said tube having an integral peripheral rib portion on the inner wall thereof spaced inwardly of said dispensing end for engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein, and a hollow plunger of elastic or resilient material slidable in said tube and having an open end engageable with the stack at the end of the tube opposite said dispensing opening, said plunger having peripherally spaced slots extending from the open end thereof, the slotted end of said plunger being contracted within said tube to apply yielding pressure against the inner wall thereof yieldingly slidably to retain the plunger in the tube, whereby said plunger is depressible against said stack yieldingly to urge one or more of the outermost tokens past said rib portion and into the space between the rib portion and a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube.

8. A token or like dispensing device comprising a tube formed of elastic or resilient material and having a dispensing opening at one end, said tube having peripherally spaced slots extending longitudinally from said dispensing end thereof whereby the dispensing end portion of the tube is yieldingly expansible, said expansible end portion of said tube having an integral peripheral rib portion on the inner wall thereof spaced inwardly of said dispensing end for engaging about the edge portions of the outermost token of a stack thereof received in said tube to retain the stack therein, said peripheral rib portion being spaced inwardly of said dispensing end of said tube to provide a recess of depth equal to at least the thickness of a token or the like being dispensed, and a hollow plunger of elastic or resilient material slidable in said tube and having an open end engageable with the stack at the end of the tube opposite said dispensing opening, said plunger having peripherally spaced slots extending from the open end thereof, the slotted end of said plunger being contracted within said tube to apply yielding pressure against the inner wall thereof yieldingly slidably to retain the plunger in the tube, whereby said plunger is depressible against said stack yieldingly to urge the outermost tokens past said rib portion and into the space between the rib portion and a surface presented at said dispensing end of the tube.

9. A token or like dispensing device comprising a hollow casing having a dispensing opening at one end, yieldingly releasable means at the dispensing end of said casing including a retaining portion spaced inwardly of the dispensing end of the casing for engagement by one end of a stack of tokens or the like yieldingly releasably to retain the stack in the casing, and means operable at will for applying pressure to the other end of the stack to urge the same toward a token receiving surface presented at said dispensin end of the casing and thereby to urge a predetermined number of tokens or the like from the stack past said retaining portion toward said dispensing opening against the yielding action of said releasable means and into the space between said inwardly spaced retaining portion and the token receiving surface.

10. A token or like dispensing device comprising a hollow casing having a, dispensing opening at one end, yieldingly expansible means at the dispensing end of said casing including a retaining portion spaced inwardly of the dispensing end of the casing for engagement by one end of a stack of tokens or the like yieldingly releasably to retain the stack in the casing, and means operable at will for applying pressure to the other end of the stack to urge the same toward a token receiving surface presented at said dispensing end of the casing and thereby to urge a predetermined number of tokens or the like from the stack past said retaining portion toward said dispensing opening against the yieldin action of said expansible means and into the space between said inwardly spaced retaining portion and the token receiving surface.

MELMOTI-I W. HUNTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 517,175 Shigon Mar. 27, 1894 570,113 Wilson et a1 Oct. 27, 1896 1,201,963 Hill Oct. 17, 1916 2,092,745 Horton Sept. 14, 1937 1,390,934 Soutullo Sept. 13, 1921 1,274,615 Sherwood Aug. 6, 1918 1,463,894 Jaife Aug. 7, 1943 

